Farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) today locked both gates of the grain market at Vyaspur in Yamunanagar district to protest against the delay in lifting procured paddy.
The farmers said they had come to meet officials and raise their concerns but no official arrived for nearly two hours. They then staged a sit-in at the market gate. The protest ended after about two-and-a-half hours when officials assured them that their concerns would be addressed.
BKU district vice-president Gurmej Singh Kapuri said more than a week had passed since procurement began, but not a single grain of paddy had been lifted from the market.
He alleged that government-owned paddy was occupying shed space, forcing farmers to keep their produce in the open. Unseasonal rain last night further compounded their problems, with rainwater washing away some of the paddy brought for sale.
SDM Vyaspur Dr Kuldeep Singh, the DSP and the Naib Tehsildar reached the market after being informed about the protest. The SDM heard the farmers and persuaded them to end the agitation.
The farmers warned that they would block roads if paddy lifting did not begin soon. They also threatened to extend the agitation beyond Vyaspur and Yamunanagar to other parts of Haryana.
